How to check if a migration agent is registered

Every person legally allowed to charge a fee for immigration assistance in Australia must hold a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN), issued by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA). You can check anyone's status for free, in under a minute, using their name or MARN. That single check — before you pay a deposit, before you hand over documents — is the difference between dealing with a regulated professional and gambling on someone who isn't allowed to be in the business.

OMARA publishes the official register of registered migration agents. This directory mirrors that register — every MARN chip you see here links back to the same underlying registration fact, refreshed on a regular schedule and dated so you know how current it is. For the authoritative, real-time record, go to the OMARA register directly and search there.

Have the agent's full name and, if they've given it, their MARN to hand. Searching by MARN is exact; searching by name may return several matches, in which case match on the name, the state, and the registration commencement date.

A genuine, active registration will show the agent's name matching who you're dealing with, their registration date, and whether they're currently active or suspended. The name should match the person you're actually communicating with — a common slip is checking a colleague's registration and assuming the person who answered the phone is covered. If you're dealing with a firm, confirm that the specific agent assigned to your file is the registered one.

Registration status is not static. It can lapse when a renewal isn't paid, or be suspended while a complaint is investigated. A check you did six months ago is not the same as a check done today.

If someone's MARN doesn't come up, don't assume the worst immediately — registers lag reality by days, not months, but they do lag. A brand-new registration may not have appeared yet. Treat an unmatched MARN as a reason to ask more questions, not as proof of wrongdoing. See our guide on what to do if a MARN doesn't check out for the exact steps.

Not always, and the difference matters. Anyone can call themselves a "migration agent" — the word on a website or business card is not regulated. What is regulated is the act: charging a fee for immigration assistance without being registered with OMARA is an offence under the Migration Act. The word is marketing; the MARN is the law.

A related term you'll see is "migration consultant" or "visa consultant". Again, the title itself means nothing. Only the registration behind it is verifiable, which is why this directory's single rule is that every listed agency employs at least one currently registered agent whose MARN we show on their page.

Because titles are unreliable, the practical habit to build is simple: treat the MARN as the fact and the title as the noise. If someone refuses or avoids giving you a MARN when you ask directly, that refusal is itself information — no registered agent has a reason to hide the number that legitimises their work.

Check once before you pay a deposit, and check again before you pay anything substantial. Registration is not permanent — it can lapse when a renewal isn't paid on time, and it can be suspended while a complaint is investigated. Both happen more often than people expect, and neither is broadcast to an agency's former clients.

For a long-running matter, make it a habit to re-check at the start of each stage: initial lodgement, the invitation to comment, and any tribunal or review step. Each re-check takes under a minute and costs nothing, and it protects you exactly when the stakes are highest.

Registration confirms someone has met OMARA's entry requirements and is legally allowed to charge for migration assistance. It is not a quality rating, and it is not a guarantee of outcome. Use it as a baseline check, then evaluate experience, communication, and cost separately — Google reviews on an agency's page are a reasonable second signal.

Registered agents also owe you obligations under the OMARA Code of Conduct: a written agreement covering the services and fees, honesty about your prospects, and confidentiality. A clean registration check is also the doorway to those protections — an unregistered operator owes you none of them, and the complaints pathway for unregistered conduct is a much more serious matter.

We rank standard directory results using a published methodology that weighs rating, review volume, registration tenure, roster size, and contactability. Paid featured placements can provide additional visibility and are clearly labelled.